Category: African American Studies

February 19, 2010

David Ruggles, Abolitionist and Mentor to Abolitionists

This week is the very good time to talk about Graham Hodges’ new book David Ruggles: A Radical Black Abolitionist and the Underground Railroad in New York City–for at least two reasons. The first of these is that Hodges was interviewed by Eric Foner (DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University) as part of the Lincoln Series at the… Continue Reading David Ruggles, Abolitionist and Mentor to Abolitionists

African American History/African American Studies/Civil War/History/UNC Press News

February 12, 2010

An NAACP Anniversary: Looking Back at Ella Baker

Today, February 12th, 2010, marks the 101st anniversary of one of the nation’s most important organizations, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Because of today’s important nature, we want to focus on someone central to the organization’s success, as well as many more victories in the civil rights movement. Born in 1903, Ella Baker was involved in… Continue Reading An NAACP Anniversary: Looking Back at Ella Baker

African American History/African American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Civil Rights/History/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News

January 29, 2010

50 Years: The International Civil Rights Center & Museum

On February 1, 1960, four students from the historically black Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (now the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University) sat down in the “whites only” section of a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC. They were refused service, but stayed. The next day, there were around 25 protesters. Soon, over 300 protesters… Continue Reading 50 Years: The International Civil Rights Center & Museum

African American History/African American Studies/Civil Rights/History/North Carolina

November 19, 2009

Charron Discusses the Life of Septima Clark on the State of Things today

In the mid-1950s, Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987), a former public school teacher, developed a citizenship training program that enabled thousands of African Americans to register to vote and then to link the power of the ballot to concrete strategies for individual and communal empowerment. In Freedom’s Teacher: The Life of Septima Clark, Katherine Mellen Charron demonstrates Clark’s crucial role–and the… Continue Reading Charron Discusses the Life of Septima Clark on the State of Things today

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Biography / Autobiography/Civil Rights/Podcasts/TSoT/UNC Press Authors

October 28, 2009

UNC Press Goes West (And Likes It)

First, let’s set the scene: A little closer… Last Sunday, UNC Press held a book party at the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. The event celebrated three of our fall 2009 titles: Foy Allen Edelman, author of SWEET CAROLINA, spent six years traveling every inch of North Carolina to collect the best in local dessert recipes; the result… Continue Reading UNC Press Goes West (And Likes It)

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Biography / Autobiography/Civil Rights/Cooking / Food/Fiction/folklore/History/Literature/Local Indy Booksellers/Media Studies/Music/North Carolina/Recipes/Southern Studies/Travel/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News

September 23, 2009

Pouring Tea: The Fall 2009 Tour Begins

I know we’re not supposed to have favorite authors here at the Press, but since I live in the IT World and rarely interact with our authors, I’ll provide myself with something of an exemption. Last September I wrote about E. Patrick Johnson’s newly released book, titled Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South. At that time I had… Continue Reading Pouring Tea: The Fall 2009 Tour Begins

African American Studies/Civil Rights/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Interviews/Southern Studies/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News

Web 2.0, Text Wars, and Building the Better Book: How the Internet Changes Everything We Do

Today, The New York Times ran Jones County, Miss. – Civil War Fires Up Literary Shootout, a report by Michael Cieply about two conflicting books and a yet-to-be greenlighted Hollywood movie. At the center of everything lies Newton Knight, a white, landowning, Confederate deserter living deep in Mississippi, who famously tried to secede and form the Free State of Jones.… Continue Reading Web 2.0, Text Wars, and Building the Better Book: How the Internet Changes Everything We Do

African American Studies/American History/Civil Rights/Civil War/Film/Southern Studies/The Book Biz/UNC Press Authors

A world without E. Lynn Harris (1955-2009)

Last week best-selling fiction writer E. Lynn Harris died at the age of 54. Harris’s closeted and openly gay black characters paved the way for a new and vibrant genre of popular literature with widespread appeal. Personally, Harris was a kind and generous man who sought to encourage and support other gay black writers, including E. Patrick Johnson, author of… Continue Reading A world without E. Lynn Harris (1955-2009)

African American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Current Events/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Guest Bloggers/Literature/Southern Studies

Swimming Pool Historian Responds to Philadelphia Incident

In the past month, an occurrence in the suburbs of Philadelphia has turned into a national story. After a group of minority children were disinvited by a private swimming pool’s administration, community members were outraged. Senator Arlen Spector said that if allegations were true, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was likely violated. Now, the United States Justice Department plans… Continue Reading Swimming Pool Historian Responds to Philadelphia Incident

African American Studies/American History/Civil Rights/Current Events/History/UNC Press Authors

Today in history: Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina were readmitted to the Union

Reunited and it feels so good; okay, so maybe 1868 wasn’t as smooth as a pop song. There were a few kinks to work out. How would secessionist states regain self-governing status? How would newly freedmen be integrated into southern society? What would become of the leaders of the Confederacy? Reconstruction proved to be one of the most trying times… Continue Reading Today in history: Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina were readmitted to the Union

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Civil War/History/North Carolina

Juneteenth, Emancipation, and the Proclamation

Today, the UNC Press blog is happy to offer a guest post from William A. Blair, professor of U.S. history and director of the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center at the Pennsylvania State University. In November, UNC Press will be publishing Lincoln’s Proclamation, a collection of essays coedited by Blair and Karen F. Younger that offers new… Continue Reading Juneteenth, Emancipation, and the Proclamation

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Civil Rights/Civil War/Guest Bloggers/History/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News

Loving v. Virginia, then and now: race, sexuality, religion, & law

We welcome a guest post today from Fay Botham, author of the forthcoming book Almighty God Created the Races: Christianity, Interracial Marriage, and American Law. In her book, Botham demonstrates how Christianity was important to both racist and antiracist movements in the 19th and 20th centuries and how those movements influenced litigation over matters of marriage and race. In this… Continue Reading Loving v. Virginia, then and now: race, sexuality, religion, & law

African American Studies/Civil Rights/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Guest Bloggers/History/Law / Legal History/Religion/UNC Press Authors

John Hope Franklin memorial service

Family, friends, and colleagues shared memories and inspiration in a loving service in honor of John Hope Franklin and his wife Aurelia Whittington Franklin yesterday at Duke Chapel. We say goodbye to a wise and generous man, a history-making historian, and an old friend.

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Current Events/History/North Carolina/UNC Press Authors

The Long Civil Rights Movement conference videos now online

Last summer Rachel blogged about a new Mellon-funded project aimed at sharing scholarship on the civil rights movement. Last month, Publishing the Long Civil Rights Movement (LCRM) sponsored a wildly successful conference here at UNC to discuss the project and possibilities for scholarly collaboration. LCRM director Sylvia Miller described the conference this way: All of the sessions made substantial efforts… Continue Reading The Long Civil Rights Movement conference videos now online

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Civil Rights/Education/Events/History

Authors speak: interviews, op-eds, and more

We’ve got several authors out there making appearances online in various forms. If you’ve missed some of the live appearances in this busy spring, take a moment to follow-up virtually. In history… Russell McClintock, author of Lincoln and the Decision for War, was interviewed recently by Michael Noirot over at This Mighty Scourge. An excerpt from Amy Wood‘s new book,… Continue Reading Authors speak: interviews, op-eds, and more

African American Studies/American History/Civil War/Cuba/Current Events/History/Interviews/Islamic Studies/Latin American/Caribbean Hist./Middle Eastern Studies/Native Amer./Indigenous Studies/Politics/Religion/UNC Press Authors

Upcoming events, 4/21 – 4/27

New York, NY – Today! Tuesday 4/21 at 6 pm – Ann Marie Stock, author of On Location in Cuba: Street Filmmaking during Times of Transition (hot off the press!), will be speaking at the Havana Film Festival at the King Juan Carlos Center. Raleigh, NC – Wed., 4/22 at 11 am – Rob Christensen, author of The Paradox of… Continue Reading Upcoming events, 4/21 – 4/27

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Birds & Birding/Cooking / Food/Cuba/Events/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Gender Studies/History/Local Indy Booksellers/Media Studies/Military Studies/Nature/North Carolina/Politics/Southern Studies/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News/Women's Studies

Upcoming events: UNC wins NCAA championship, etc.

The Tar Heels are on order by the Commander in Chief to win the NCAA tourney tonight. Go Heels!! Here’s a preview of tonight’s celebration on Franklin Street. This video was shot on Saturday, when the Tar Heels beat Villanova in the final four. Hopefully any potential thunderstorms and tornadoes will happen sooner rather than later today so we can… Continue Reading Upcoming events: UNC wins NCAA championship, etc.

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Cooking / Food/Events/Gender Studies/History/Local Indy Booksellers/North Carolina/Public Policy/Religion/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News/Women's Studies

Remembrances for Franklin abound

Our hearts are warmed by the outpouring of remembrances for John Hope Franklin. We’ve been blogging about it the past couple of days (here and here), but there’s no letting up yet. In a New York Times editorial, Brent Staples cites John Hope’s “groundbreaking work on free Negroes in antebellum North Carolina” (that would be JHF’s first book, The Free… Continue Reading Remembrances for Franklin abound

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Biography / Autobiography/Current Events/History/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News

In memoriam, John Hope Franklin (1915-2009)

The ties between the nation’s most distinguished historian and UNC Press go back a very long way. In 1943, UNC Press (which had already made something of a name for itself by its books by and about African Americans) published John Hope Franklin’s first book, The Free Negro in North Carolina, 1790-1860. It was a revision of his Harvard dissertation… Continue Reading In memoriam, John Hope Franklin (1915-2009)

African American History/African American Studies/American History/Current Events/History/North Carolina/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News

Sad news: we’ve lost 2 giants

We’re mourning two great losses over here at the Press this afternoon. In addition to being UNC Press authors, both men were giants in their fields, and indeed helped establish and define new fields of scholarship. Both lived long, fulfilling lives in which their pioneering intellectual pursuits served the public good. Both gave of themselves tirelessly, mentoring and inspiring multiple… Continue Reading Sad news: we’ve lost 2 giants

African American History/African American Studies/American History/American Studies/Appalachian Studies/Civil Rights/Labor Studies/North Carolina/Podcasts/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News